


Hard Things

by whitchry9



Series: Melvin Potter [2]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Iron Fist (TV), Jessica Jones (TV), Luke Cage (TV), The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Autism, Autism Spectrum, Cats, First Meetings, Friendship, Gen, Melvin is autistic fight me I dare you, Post Defenders, Post-Episode: s01e08 The Defenders, The Defenders (Marvel TV) Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-19 03:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11889105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitchry9/pseuds/whitchry9
Summary: After Midland Circle, Melvin notices things don't get back to normal, not completely.And then he ends up meeting the other Defenders, who turn out to be nice and helpful, even if they try to hide it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I guess this is a series now?  
> (Doesn't require reading of the previous fic, except to know about Eleanor, the cat. She's a thing.)
> 
> Fill for this prompt: http://daredevilkink.dreamwidth.org/9408.html?thread=17928896#cmt17928896

The events at Midland Circle were highly suspicious to Melvin.

Whatever explanation the newspaper or news shows had going on all seemed ridiculous. The building was brand new and was designed by a renowned architect. There had been a recent earthquake, but he doubted that it could cause a building to collapse a week later. It could have been a terrorist attack, but none of the news outlets had any leads on that, and Melvin knew how much they liked blaming terrorists for everything. Even Trish Talk claimed it was due to unpermitted construction, which Melvin didn't believe, even though Trish Talk was normally a good program.

 

And then Melvin got wind of a certain group of people being spotted there, namely Daredevil and the bulletproof man from Harlem, along with two others. That couldn't be a coincidence, that those four would be seen there together, right before the building fell into the earth.

 

So Melvin looked into the others who had been seen at Midland Circle with Daredevil. The bulletproof man was Luke Cage. He was well known in Harlem, and had just gotten out of jail for a second time before the events at Midland Circle. Apparently he'd been cleared of charges from a while ago, when he had a different name.

The woman was a private investigator named Jessica Jones. Melvin couldn't find a website, and when he called her office, the message just said it was a wrong number. The newspapers said that she had been involved in a murder a while ago, when a whole bunch of people just started attacking each other for no reason. But she wasn't in jail, so she either hadn't killed him, or they couldn't prove she did.

The other man was harder to identify, and probably would have been easier if Melvin was any good with faces, but he finally found out that he was Danny Rand. Melvin found his story interesting. Apparently he'd disappeared in a plane crash when he was ten and was presumed dead. He then showed up in New York City years later, and no one believed he was who he said he was. He was very good at kung fu, but very bad at running a business.

And Daredevil, well Melvin knew all about Daredevil. Daredevil was a blind lawyer named Matt Murdock. He had lost most of the people he had ever loved, but he still loved his city and wanted to protect everyone in it. He'd come to Melvin looking for answers, and Melvin helped him, gave him a suit, gave his friend a suit, helped keep them safe so he could keep Betsy safe.

 

What a strange group.

 

After the building fell, the city calmed down a bit. In the week between the earthquake and the building falling down, lots of things had gone on. A car crashed into a Chinese restaurant. Two dead bodies had been found in the same building as three unconscious people.

 

Whatever had happened, Melvin expected things to get back to normal. The good guys won, or at least he thought so, and the world would keep spinning. Danny Rand would continue to run a business, not very successfully. Jessica Jones might open her PI business back up. Luke Cage would continue to get holes in his hoodies and protect his neighbourhood. And Matt Murdock would defend the innocent regardless of their ability to pay for it.

 

But as the days went on, only some of those things happened. Jessica Jones did open her PI business back up. Luke Cage went back to work in Harlem. Danny Rand returned to Rand Industries.

But Matt Murdock was nowhere to be found. He wasn't in court. He didn't come to Melvin for suit repairs. He hadn't been arrested, at least as far as Melvin could tell.

He was just... missing.

 

Daredevil hadn't been seen since Midland Circle either.

 

There were reports of a man in Hell's Kitchen, stopping muggers, taking criminals to police stations, but it wasn't a man in a devil costume. It was a man in a hoodie, a man with a fist that glowed.

It was Danny Rand.

 

_Where was Daredevil?_

 

Melvin didn't want to think, didn't want to let himself think, that maybe Daredevil didn't make it out of that building.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He waited two weeks after the building fell, which was long enough for Matt to heal, if he'd gotten injured. Daredevil had been retired even before the earthquake, but that time he'd told Melvin, and let him know he didn't need to worry. Melvin appreciated that.

 

But after two weeks of no Daredevil and no Matt Murdock, Melvin couldn't convince himself not to think about it any more.

 

He couldn't find Luke Cage in a phone book, and knew that he'd never get through to one of the heads of Rand Industries, so he called the person he knew he'd eventually be able to get through to.

He called the office of Jessica Jones.

 

Surprisingly, someone picked up this time.

“Jessica Jones.”

“Um, hi. I'm calling about a missing person.”

She sighed. “Are you sure they're actually missing and not just cheating on you?”

Melvin didn't understand. “...yes?”

“Name.”

“Melvin.”

She sighed again. “The missing person's name.”

“Oh. Daredevil.”

Jessica Jones didn't say anything for a long minute.

“Melvin was it?”

Melvin nodded, and then said yes after realizing she couldn't see him.

“Why don't you come to my office, and we can talk about this.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Jessica's office was not very nice. There were bullet holes in the walls that had only just been patched up, but whoever had tried to fill them in wasn't very good at it. There was also fresh paint that was hiding a stain that was probably blood.

 

Jessica Jones had black hair and was wearing a jacket and gloves despite being indoors. The gloves didn't have fingers, and Melvin wondered what their purpose was. There was another man with her who introduced himself as Malcolm. He seemed nicer than Jessica. He smiled at Melvin.

 

Jessica had him sit down across from her desk, and she shoved a bottle of whiskey in a desk drawer. Malcolm pulled up a chair and sat next to Jessica behind the desk.

“Melvin, how did you know Daredevil?”

Melvin didn't know how much he could say. What if it was a trap?

“Listen Melvin, you know that Daredevil and I, we fought together, right? On the same side.”

Melvin nodded.

“It's okay if you tell me how you knew him. It's going to stay between us. And Malcolm, but he doesn't have any friends to tell.”

Malcolm smiled at the joke, like he was used to Jessica poking fun at him.

“I made Daredevil's suit for him.”

“The devil suit?” Jessica asked, raising an eyebrow. “With the horns and everything?”

Melvin nodded. “He said that he wanted a symbol.”

“It sure is a symbol all right,” Jessica muttered. “I'm not sure of what though.”

“Jess,” Malcolm said.

Jessica scoffed. “Whatever. So you made him his suit.”

Melvin nodded. “And the billy club. I fix it too, when it gets torn or broken or the material isn't right.”

“So you knew him better than most people?”

Melvin shifted in the chair uncomfortably. He didn't know how to answer that. And there was something about the questions they were asking, or maybe it was the way they were asking them, that made him uneasy.

“We're not trying to trick you or anything,” Malcolm said. He smiled at Melvin. “We just want to know how close you were to him.”

 

_Did, fought, knew, knew, were._

Past tense.

 

Melvin didn't want to, but his eyes filled with tears.

 

“Oh. Shit,” Jessica swore. “Malcolm, do something.”

“Melvin, what's wrong?” Malcolm asked, getting to his feet and inching closer to Melvin.

“Daredevil didn't make it out of that building, did he?” Melvin choked out.

Jessica and Malcolm looked at each other.

“No,” Jessica sighed. “No he didn't.”

“So he's dead.”

“Probably.”

Melvin nodded, once. “Okay.”

Daredevil was dead. Matt was dead.

 

Malcolm sat back down in his chair.

“Did you know who Daredevil was?” Jessica asked.

Melvin nodded. “I can't tell though. It's a secret. It's how we keep Betsy safe. If anyone knew who Daredevil was, he couldn't keep us safe.”

“No, it's okay Melvin. I knew who he was too.”

“Who's Betsy?” Malcolm asked.

Melvin shook his head. “I have to keep Betsy safe.”

Malcolm nodded. “Sure.”

 

“Malcolm, get out,” Jessica ordered. Malcolm huffed, but left. Jessica waited for a minute before continuing. “Melvin, this is very important. No one can know that Matt went missing, okay? You can't talk to anyone about where Matt is. You can't file a police report, or hire a detective, or do anything, okay?”

Melvin nodded, wiping his face with his sleeve. “What did his friends think happened to him?”

“The ones that know about him being Daredevil know the truth. And they were the ones who came up with the idea. They told everyone that Matt has gone to rehab.”

“Like, for drugs?”

“Alcohol I think, but yeah. That will work for a while, and when this whole thing dies down, his friends will say that he's moved, changed his name, decided to start a new life somewhere else.”

“But he's dead.”

Jessica's face changed, but Melvin wasn't sure how.

“Yeah Melvin, he's probably dead. We don't know for sure, but he was at the bottom of that explosion, and probably didn't survive.”

Melvin nodded. “Okay.”

“I'm sorry. I only knew him for a few days, but he was a good guy, and I know that he helped a lot of people.”

Melvin nodded. “He helped me. He helped Betsy.”

“He saved the whole city. All of New York City is here because of him. But no one can know that. You understand how important this is, right Melvin?”

Did Jessica not think he understood? He understood. Maybe he wasn't making it clear enough.

“I can keep a secret. I keep lots of secrets. I know how important it is to keep people safe.”

“Okay. Okay. Thanks Melvin.” She held out a piece of paper. “Take my card. I don't always answer the phone, but you can leave a message if you need to talk to me.”

“Your answering machine says wrong number,” Melvin told her.

Jessica scoffed. “I guess I'll get Malcolm to fix that,” she grumbled.

Melvin got up and tucked the card in his pocket. When he got home, he would stick it up on a bulletin board to make sure he didn't lose it, in case he needed it some day.

“I can make you a suit if you want,” he offered. “It might help protect you from bullets.”

Jessica smiled a little bit. “Thanks, but I think I'm good.”

“Luke probably doesn't need a suit, because he is bulletproof, but if he wants a sweater that won't get holes in it, I can do that. And Danny probably shouldn't run around the city without his face covered up. He's an important person.”

Jessica raised her eyebrows. “Okay then. I'll let them know you said that.”

Melvin nodded. “It was nice to meet you Miss Jones. And Malcolm.”

He held his hand out to shake hers, and Jessica seemed a bit hesitant, but did it.

 

When he got home, he stuck Jessica's card on his bulletin board, and spent a few minutes debating whether or not to take Matt's card down. It was one of the old cards, back from when he was Nelson and Murdock and not just Murdock. In the end, Melvin left it. He told himself it was part of the lie to protect Matt's identity, and not out of sentiment.

 

 

* * *

 

 

A few days later Melvin nearly decapitated Danny Rand by throwing a saw blade at him when he showed up in his workshop unexpectedly. Luckily Danny Rand was very good at dodging things, otherwise Melvin was going to have to try and explain to the police how he managed to kill a millionaire. Billionaire? Melvin didn't know how rich he was. Very rich.

 

“You scared me,” Melvin blurted out.

Danny Rand laughed. “I can tell. I'm sorry. I probably should have... called ahead? I don't actually know if you have a phone number that I could have found anywhere.”

Melvin shook his head. “I'm not in the phone book.”

“Right.” Danny looked down at his shoes. Melvin looked at them too. There didn't seem to be anything unusual about them, so maybe he just wasn't sure what to say. “Um, I guess you told Jessica that you make armour.”

Melvin nodded. “I made Daredevil's suit for him.”

“She said that. You do nice work.”

“Thank you.”

“Jessica also said that you thought I shouldn't be running around with my face showing.”

“It's not a very smart move,” Melvin told him.

Danny laughed. “You're probably right. Do you think you could make something for me to wear? The cat's probably out of the bag on this one, but if it hides my face, and protects me from being injured, that would be great. I'd be able to pay of course.”

Melvin nodded. _Of course. Was it really that apparent? Daredevil didn't pay for his suit, but he also protected Melvin and Betsy. And then once Melvin knew more about him, he knew that Matt really couldn't afford to pay him anyway, and Melvin was okay with it._

He'd never really been paid for that before. So for Danny to say of course he would be paid, well, it was a bit of a shock for Melvin.

 

“No red though,” Danny added, when Melvin didn't say anything. “I was thinking green, with maybe some yellow. Something that doesn't get in the way when I fight, and leaves my hands uncovered so I can use the Iron Fist.”

Melvin nodded. “I think I can come up with something for you. It will take a few days. I'm not sure I have any of the right material right now.” Not in those colours anyway. Just in red.

Danny looked surprised. “Okay. No rush, really.”

Melvin shrugged. “I don't have much else to do, now that Daredevil...”

“Yeah,” Danny said, looking down at his shoes again. Melvin didn't look this time. He figured it was something Danny just did when he was nervous, like how Melvin sometimes flapped his hands or hurt himself.

“He told me to protect his city,” Danny said. “I guess that's why I've been in Hell's Kitchen. Luke has Harlem, and Jessica doesn't really do the whole hero thing, and I never really felt at home here before... but now I'm trying. I'm really trying. And I know it's not the same as he would do, or anywhere as good as he would do it, but I'm trying, you know?”

Melvin nodded. He did know.

 

 

* * *

 

 

When Danny came back a week later, Melvin had finished his suit, and had spent the last couple of days second guessing his design choices.

Danny seemed thrilled though, and put it on immediately, stripping down to his underwear and socks. Melvin looked away, but not before seeing the dragon tattoo on Danny's chest.

“Where did you get that?” he asked. “Was it in New York?”

“The dragon?” Danny asked, nearly falling over as he pulled a leg through the pants.

Melvin nodded.

“I got it in K'un Lun. It's from Shou-Lao the Undying.”

“Is that a person?”

Danny laughed as he pulled the mask over his face. “Shou-Lao is a dragon.”

“Like a real dragon?”

Danny nodded. “Fire breathing and all. I had to defeat him to earn the power of the Iron Fist.”

It sounded silly, but it wasn't the strangest thing Melvin had heard.

Danny adjusted the collar of the suit. “This is great man.”

Melvin smiled. “I'm glad you like it. The whole thing is made out of the same material, which is as strong as Kevlar, but more flexible. It should absorb the impact of most bullets and deflect knives. Does it fit alright? I can make adjustments if it doesn't.”

“No man, it's perfect. You didn't even measure me. How did you do that?”

Melvin shrugged. “This is my job. I'm good at my job.”

“You're amazing at your job man. How much do I owe you?”

Melvin froze. He had no idea how much he should charge. He scratched his head.

“I'll have to check,” he said. Maybe if he added up the cost of materials, and then figured out how long it took him, he could come to a number that made sense.

Danny handed him a cheque. “Will this cover it? I can write another one if not.”

Melvin had never held so much money in his life, and he was terrified he was going to tear it or break it somehow.

“This is too much,” he blurted out. “I can't take this.”

“Really? I'm not good with money,” Danny admitted. “We didn't use it in K'un Lun, so I don't have much of a baseline.”

“This would cover my rent for months and months,” Melvin said, trying to get Danny to understand it.

“Oh, that sounds about right then. I mean, you put a lot of work into this,” Danny explained as he twisted to get a better look at the seam down the leg of the pants. Melvin had done the seam in yellow to contrast with the green colour that made up most of the suit, and complement the yellow of the collar and the mask.

“It's too much,” Melvin insisted.

“Okay, tell you what. You keep it, and if there's anything that I notice in the next little while that needs to be fixed, or if I get it wrecked, I'll come back. Okay?”

“Like a warranty?”

Danny brightened. “Yeah, just like that.”

“I guess,” Melvin said. He didn't have any idea what he would do with that much money. Maybe a new sewing machine? A fancy water dish for Eleanor?

Danny gathered his clothes up. “Seriously man, thank you. It's amazing. I'll see if I can get Luke to come to you. He keeps complaining about how his sweaters have bullet holes in them.” Danny rolled his eyes. “I'm sure you could make him a bulletproof hoodie, right?”

Melvin nodded.

Danny beamed. “Okay. Thanks again. I'll see you around!”

 

Danny disappeared into the night before Melvin could say anything.

He put the cheque on his bulletin board, next to Jessica's card. He didn't want to cash it yet.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Luke Cage was much more considerate about visiting Melvin. He knocked for one, and he also came during the day.

“Hey,” he said when Melvin opened the door. It took him a second to recognize him. Faces were hard.

“Mr Cage,” Melvin said.

“You can call me Luke,” he said with a smile. “I heard you can make me a bulletproof hoodie?”

Melvin nodded and led him into the workshop.

 

“I go through a lot of hoodies, and it's starting to get expensive,” Luke explained. “Being a hero doesn't pay much.”

Melvin didn't think it paid anything, but he didn't say that.

“I figured if I spent money and get one hoodie that isn't going to get wrecked, it would be a good investment.”

“You wear a lot of yellow,” Melvin noted. “Do you want a yellow sweater? I have yellow material left over from Danny's suit.”

Luke laughed a little bit. “Danny loves that thing you know. It's hard to get him to take it off. He's tried going to work in it.”

Melvin smiled. He bet that wouldn't go over well at Rand Industries.

“I think something darker, with yellow highlights,” Luke said thoughtfully. “Better for stealth. I do a lot of work at night.”

Melvin nodded. “I think I know what you mean.” He surveyed Luke. He was very muscular, perhaps more so than anyone else he had made anything for.

“Great. I can some back next week, or later if it will take more time.”

Melvin shook his head. “I could probably have it done by tomorrow.”

Luke looked surprised. “Wow. Okay. How about I come back the next day then, just in case you run into problems.”

Melvin nodded. “Okay. Thank you Mr Cage.”

“No, thank you Melvin.”

Luke patted him on the shoulder, and Melvin didn't even mind it.

 

 

* * *

 

 

While he was working on Luke's sweater, Melvin used the leftover material to make a new jacket for Jessica Jones. He'd noticed she liked the leather jacket she wore, and figured he could make something that looked similar, but would protect her more. Maybe Luke could get her to wear it.

 

When Luke came back, Melvin had both of them finished.

 

The hoodie was dark grey, but the inside of the hood and the lining were yellow, with decorative stitching and seams that were also yellow.

Luke seemed to like it, commenting on how soft the inside managed to be, while still protecting him.

Melvin nodded. He knew that clothes had to be comfortable. It didn't matter if they were going to save your life if you weren't willing to wear them. Daredevil, Matt, had understood that.

 

“I think Jessica is going to like this,” Luke told him, holding up the jacket Melvin had made. “She probably won't admit it, but she'll like it.”

Melvin smiled.

“How much do I owe you man?”

Melvin shook his head.

“Mr Rand paid me more than enough to cover your hoodie and Jessica's coat.”

Luke frowned. “How much did Danny give you?”

“A lot. He said that he wasn't good with money.”

Luke laughed and shook his head. “He's really not, but we're working on it. We're getting him to take some basic business courses online, which he finds fascinating.”

Melvin nodded. Danny had seemed full of awe when Melvin met him, pleased with everything. Melvin figured he probably missed out on a lot from being gone for so long.

 

Luke pulled the hood up and adjusted it. “This is great, really. Thank you. You ever need anything, you let us know, okay?”

Melvin nodded. He had Jessica's card, and Danny had scribbled his phone number down on a scrap of paper, which was hanging next to the uncashed cheque.

On his way out, Luke gave him the number of the friend he was staying with. Melvin wrote it down carefully on his rough sketch of Luke's hoodie, and hung it up on the bulletin board as well.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is going to be a second chapter, with more ~angst~


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fyi, this chapter contains a sick animal and a (near) meltdown
> 
> as always, your autism experience may vary

Something was wrong.

Eleanor hadn't eaten breakfast, which was unusual for her.

Instead, she was sleeping in her bed, and seemed annoyed with Melvin for disturbing her.

“It's the same food you always eat,” he told her. “I know you like it.”

Eleanor rolled over away from him.

“Are you tired of eating the same food? Do you want a different food?”

Eleanor didn't answer, but she did start purring when Melvin stroked her.

 

“I guess I can try a different food,” Melvin said. He needed to get groceries anyway.

Still, he felt uneasy leaving her alone.

 

“I'll be back in a little bit, okay?” he assured Eleanor. He made sure he had his wallet and his keys, and set off for the grocery store.

 

He spent far too long comparing ingredients in cat food, and finally ended up getting a few different flavours of the same food. He almost forgot to get himself any food, and ended up with a random assortment of things that he grabbed as he went by. Grocery shopping was much easier with Betsy. She kept him grounded and did the hard things, like keeping track of what he had and what he needed, and pushing the cart. Melvin didn't like doing those things when there was a crowd.

 

By the time he checked out and started heading home, he was overstimulated and anxious to get back to Eleanor.

 

Eleanor had moved from her bed to Melvin's bed, but her breakfast hadn't been touched. Melvin frowned. He set the food down in the kitchen and then sat down on the bed next to her. Eleanor didn't even react about being disturbed.

The bed was wet, and when Melvin looked closely at the sheets, could tell that Eleanor had peed on the bed. But it was red.

Blood.

“Oh no. Oh no, that is bad. Eleanor, are you okay?”

He poked at Eleanor until she lifted her head up.

Okay, that was good. She was still alive, and awake. But now what? He didn't know what else to do.

 

Betsy. Betsy always knew what to do.

 

His hands shook as he chose her number from his contacts list, and when he shoved the phone up to his ear, he went back to stroking Eleanor, feeling her heartbeat underneath his hands.

 

“ _Hi, I'm not available right now, but if you leave me a message-”_

Melvin hung up and dialed again.

And again.

And again.

Eleanor made a little noise, and Melvin realized that he'd started petting her more roughly in his anxiety.

His eyes filled with tears. “I don't know what to do. The vet. I have to take you to the vet, right?”

Eleanor didn't answer, but Melvin didn't expect her to.

 

He knew he couldn't take her on his own. He was too overwhelmed, too close to a meltdown, too close to balling his hands into fists and hurting himself.

But he couldn't. Eleanor needed him. He was responsible for her. He loved her.

But Betsy wasn't there.

He didn't have anyone else.

 

_That's not true._

Because downstairs on his bulletin board he had the numbers of three superheroes. Well, two superheroes, and one friend of a superhero.

 

“I'll be right back Eleanor, I'm going to call someone who can help.”

Eleanor sighed a little bit at him, and Melvin raced downstairs and grabbed the papers off his bulletin board.

 

Eleanor didn't react when he sat down on the bed next to her. She didn't pick her head up when Melvin petted her or poked her. She was still breathing, but she wouldn't do anything.

 

Fresh tears welled in his eyes. _She can't die. No. I can't._

He punched the first number in his phone and hoped that someone answered.

 

“Yeah?”

“I don't have anyone else to call, I called Betsy but she's not answering, and Eleanor is sick I think, and now she won't wake up and she might be dying, and I don't know what to do, I can't do it on my own, and I need help, please help me.”

“Melvin?” Jessica asked.

“Yes, it's Melvin. Please, I don't know what to do.”

His eyes filled with tears again, and he wiped them away.

“Okay, where are you?”

“Home. I'm at home with Eleanor.”

“I'm gonna need an address Melvin.”

“You're coming?”

“Yeah. You need someone, right?”

“Yeah, I do,” he admitted, and his voice cracked. Eleanor was still next to him, breathing, but not doing anything else. He kept stroking her, in case she knew he was there.

“Okay. I'm on my way. But I need the address.”

He gave it to her.

 

Jessica Jones arrived in less than five minutes to find Melvin and Eleanor still sitting on his bed.

Jessica didn't even bother knocking, just pushed the door open.

“Eleanor is a cat?” she asked.

Melvin nodded, still sniffling.

She sagged a bit. “Okay. What's wrong with her?”

“She peed on the bed, and there was blood, and now she won't wake up.”

“Okay, she needs to see a doctor. Or a vet I guess, since she's an animal.”

Melvin nodded. “I know. But I can't go on my own. I can't do it.”

“Well, I'm here for that I guess. Where's the vet?”

“A few blocks away.” Melvin told her the address.

Jessica nodded. “Okay. You want to put her in a carrier, or just hold her?”

Melvin wrapped her up in a nearby blanket, one that was dry, and held her close to his chest. She was still breathing, but not doing much else. _What if she dies what if she dies what if she dies-_

He hit his head with one hand. “Can't think about that!” he shouted.

“Hey Melvin, it's okay. I'm sure she's gonna be fine. Come on. We'll get her to the vet and they'll patch her up, I'm sure of it.”

Melvin nodded, taking a deep breath. That was one of the things he talked about with Betsy.

 

Jessica led him out of the apartment and into the street.

“I guess you care about her a lot, huh?”

Melvin nodded, trying to walk as fast as he could without jostling Eleanor too much. “She's my emotional support animal. Most people get dogs, but I have a cat.”

“Oh. That's cool.”

“She's very important to me. Just as important as Betsy.”

“And Betsy is?”

Melvin shook his head. “Gotta keep her safe.”

“Okay. Sure.”

“Can't lose either of them,” Melvin said, more softly. Eleanor was still bundled close to his chest, still breathing.

 

Jessica didn't say much else until they got to the vet, when she barged in ahead of Melvin.

“Hey!” she yelled. “This guy needs a vet.”

Her statement was punctuated by the face that she nearly tore the door off the hinges while bursting through it.

 

Things moved quickly after that. Two vet techs took Eleanor from Melvin, and he burst into fresh tears trying to explain what had happened.

Jessica helped a lot with that.

 

Within a few minutes, Eleanor had an IV and one of the vet techs took blood to run tests. They were also setting up an ultrasound to see if there was something in her bladder that could have caused bleeding.

 

No one made Melvin try to leave her side, and Jessica stood guard the whole time, scowling at anyone who even started to suggest that Melvin wait somewhere else.

 

It didn't take much longer before they had something to tell him.

“Eleanor has a bladder stone and an infection,” the vet explained. Eleanor had woken up, but was still quiet and not herself. Melvin whispered reassuring things to her as the vet explained.

“She's dehydrated, in pain, and has a bit of a fever, but we're giving her fluids and medications to help her. We'd like to monitor her, at least overnight, to see if she can pass the stone on her own.”

“What if she can't?”

“We can try to dissolve the stone with shock waves, we can flush her bladder, or we can perform surgery. We usually don't do surgery unless the other options haven't worked.”

“Eleanor is my emotional support animal,” Melvin told the vet.

“I know Mr Potter. She's a very special girl.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Melvin left Eleanor in the capable hands of the vet, who assured him that he would call if there were any changes, and that Melvin could come back first thing in the morning to check on her and make a decision about her treatment.

Jessica walked him back home and made sure he was alright before she left. Melvin thought she wanted to make sure he wasn't going to hurt himself, which he wasn't planning on. He never planned on it, it just sort of happened.

 

He managed to thank her before she left.

 

He felt empty. His home felt empty. He didn't know what to do with his hands. Normally when he felt like this, he would pet Eleanor, but he only felt like this because Eleanor...

He wrapped his arms around his chest and squeezed.

 

He stayed that way for a few minutes, and then he wrote down what he needed to do.

First on the list was wash his sheets.

He took a deep breath. He could do this.

 

 

* * *

 

 

When Melvin opened his door the next morning to go to the vet, Danny Rand was standing outside.

“Oh. Hi. I was about to knock,” he explained.

“I have to go out,” Melvin said, locking the door.

“I know. That's why I'm here. Jessica told me about what happened to Eleanor. I thought that I could come with you today, for emotional support.”

Melvin frowned. “Jessica told you?”

Danny nodded.

Did that mean Jessica told him about Melvin crying and hitting himself and being unable to go somewhere on his own? Melvin didn't like the thought that Danny was judging him, especially after Danny thought he was so good at his job. Would Danny think that Melvin was incompetent? Would he ask for his money back and go somewhere else to get his suit made?

“It's okay. Everything, I mean. She's really special to you, huh? Jessica said she was an emotional support animal?”

Melvin nodded. “Betsy helped me get her.”

“Betsy sounds like a great person.”

Melvin smiled. “She is.”

Danny smiled and nodded. “It's good to have people in your life like that.”

Melvin glanced at him. “Do you have someone like that?”

“I have my friend Colleen. She gave me money when I was homeless, and then she helped me fight the Hand.”

Melvin thought there were probably some more events in between those two, but didn't really have the energy to ask about it.

 

Eleanor looked better. The vet explained that she hadn't passed the stone during the night, but was responding well to the fluids and antibiotics. He also explained the risks and benefits of the procedures, and gave Melvin some time to think over the options.

 

Danny sat in the room with him while he reread the papers.

Melvin thought the shock wave therapy sounded good. He knew that it was used on people too, so that meant it had to be good, right? The hope was that the stone would break into small pieces that Eleanor could pass on her own. Of course, it was also more expensive, expensive enough that Melvin couldn't afford it, not without cashing the cheque Danny had given him, and he didn't want to do that.

He would for Eleanor, though. He would do almost anything for her.

“Having trouble making a decision?” Danny asked. He'd been reading the pamphlets over Melvin's shoulder.

“A little bit. I'm no good at decisions,” Melvin admitted.

“How about flushing her bladder?” Danny asked, pointing to the pamphlet and making a face.

“No,” Melvin blurted out.

Danny smiled. “It seems like you've made a decision then.”

Melvin looked down at the pamphlet. “I guess I have.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Danny waited with Melvin through the procedure, which didn't take that long, and the short period after when they waited for Eleanor to pee.

Danny kept him distracted by talking about the time he spent in K'un Lun, which was a mystical city that could only be reached every decade or so. Melvin didn't listen to the whole thing, and he also didn't think it was all true. He was too thankful to Danny for staying with him to ask though, so he didn't say anything.

 

It was an hour later when a vet tech came out and told Melvin that Eleanor was recovering nicely and had passed most of the stone. The ultrasound only showed tiny pieces of the stone that would likely pass in the next few hours, so Melvin was okay to take her home as long as he continued her antibiotics and made sure she drank lots of water. He also had new food to make sure she didn't get another stone.

 

Eleanor went 'mrrr' as soon as she saw him, and Melvin buried his face in her fur. She smelled like vet, but she was still his. He teared up a little bit, but this time it was for a different reason, relief and joy and happiness.

 

By the time he recovered and got Eleanor all wrapped up and ready to go, Danny was waiting by the reception desk with Eleanor's new food.

Melvin inched closer to the desk. “How much do I owe you? Cause I can pay it, but not all at once, so if we set up a payment plan-”

“It's been taken care of,” the receptionist assured him.

Melvin turned to Danny, who only shrugged.

 

He was so happy that Eleanor was alright that he couldn't even protest.

 

Danny carried the food home for him, and stood by awkwardly in the kitchen while Melvin settled Eleanor down on his bed, which had fresh sheets. He threw the blanket from the vet in the laundry. Eleanor purred and purred. She was happy to be home. Melvin was happy too. He didn't feel as empty.

 

“Thank you for coming with me and helping with decision making and paying for the vet bill,” Melvin blurted out.

Danny shrugged, not looking at him. Melvin wondered if Danny was like him too, like Matt. He didn't ask though. He didn't know Danny well enough.

“You're a good guy Melvin. You made Matt's suit for him, and you went looking for Daredevil after you didn't see him for a while. We didn't really understand why he liked the suit so much, you know. We thought it looked kind of silly, to be honest. But even though he couldn't see it, I don't think it was just that. I think he liked it so much because of who it came from. You made it. He loved it because you made it for him. And Matt was a pretty good judge of character. It might have done him in, in the end, but it's still who he was. So if there's anything else you need, or Eleanor needs, or Betsy, just call one of us, okay?”

 

Melvin nodded, and as Danny left, he teared up a bit again, for a different reason than he had before. This time, they were sad tears again. Tears for Matt, for Daredevil, for Hell's Kitchen, who might never know it lost him, or how.

 

 

* * *

 

 

One of the three seemed to stop by every week, with things about their clothing that they wanted changed. The changes never took more than five minutes, and Melvin suspected they were making up excuses to visit him, something that he finally told Luke.

 

Luke shrugged, but he was smiling. “I don't think any of us want to admit we like seeing you. Especially Jess.”

“Eleanor likes the company,” Melvin said carefully.

Luke laughed. “Sure she does Melvin.” He reached his hand out to Eleanor, and she licked her hand. She had recovered nicely from the bladder stone, and was eating the new food after Melvin transitioned her to it.

 

Melvin liked having three new friends, even if the only way he met them was through Daredevil's- Matt's- death.

Maybe that was how the universe balanced itself out, and it took three people to balance out Matt Murdock.

 

 

* * *

 

 

One night, about two months after the building fell into the earth, two months after Matt Murdock and Daredevil had disappeared _(died)_ , Melvin returned home late after visiting Betsy to find the Daredevil suit hanging in his workshop. There was no sign of anyone there, or of anyone having been there.

 

Attached to the suit was a note, with haphazard, blocky letters that looked like a child had written them. A child, or a blind man.

_I seem to need some repairs._

 

Melvin laughed, and then he cried.

 

And then he went to cash the cheque. He had work to do.

 


End file.
